Portarlington Mussel Festival 2023

Overview

Midway through summer each year, mollusc madness descends on the quaint coastal town of Portarlington, as punters flock in their thousands to celebrate its most famous produce: fresh, juicy mussels. This year, the long-running Portarlington Mussel Festival hits the bayside hub on Saturday, January 14 for another huge day of local eats, drinks, tunes and ocean-fresh seafood.

Mussels will be the undisputed stars of the show, featured in a swag of different ready-to-eat dishes, as well as a range of take-home packs. You can also pick up all the tips and tricks needed to recreate mussel magic at home.

On top of that, you'll find more than 200 market stalls slinging produce and other local goodies, a program of cooking demonstrations, an art show, and lots of beer and wine tastings. And the tunes will be flowing, too, with live sounds from the likes of Yacht Rock Revival, ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again and stacks more.

And if you fancy travelling there in style, you can snap up one of Port Phillip Ferries' VIP packages — the ferry will zip you from Docklands to Portarlington Pier in 70 minutes, with tickets from $41. Entry to the festival is an easy $5 for adults.